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Google IM ?

Google executives say they plan to unveil on Wednesday a "communications tool" that is potentially a clear step beyond the company's search-related business focus.

After reading this article at NY Times , you do get the feeling that Google could possibly be launching the much speculated about Instant Messaging client. Somehow I think that this "communication tool" would be some sort of a cross between IM and mobile phones - this cosidering the fact that Google recently acquired Android. It will be interesting to find out, nevertheless!

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The Rising: Nithin's review

Film: Mangal Pandey – The Rising
Review by: Nithin Nadagouda

Cast: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherji, Toby Stephens, Ameesha Patel, Some key players from the Lagaan Cricket team.

Director: Ketan Mehta

Rating: Good

After 4 years of wait, the fans of Aamir Khan will "Rise" from the movie hall with mixed feelings. The feeling of elation as Aamir Khan etches the role of Mangal Pandey convincingly and the dejected feeling of having lost a magnanimous story compromising for the commercial aspects.

This is the story of the man who laid his life for the cause of the Indian Independence.

Ketan has succeded in portraying the dilemma of Mangal’s loyalty to the British Raj and loyalty to his religious faith. On one side he is trapped in the persona of a soldier and on the other hand, that of a Brahmin.

The story begins with the roots of the unusual friendship between the British Captain and the rustic soldier in the Afghan War. The captain has a pro Indian Stance which makes him defend a servant who fumbles a drink on a Gori Mem. Gordon’s superior officer (a batsman from Lagaan) who is seeing the young lady gets infuriated and manhandles the servant(calling him a Black Dog-Now how may times have we heard this!). Mangal Pandey intervenes to protect the servant there by setting the scene to unveil the rebel in him. The rebel thus roused moves onto to take up a fight with the superior officer for the cause of a prostitute (portrayed by Rani Mukherji).

Things turn sharply against the British when the cartridges, which are greased by the fat of cow and pig, introduced in the Enfield Rifles. However Capt William Gordon, not knowing the truth, convinces the Indian Soldiers that it has no such substance. Convinced by a friend’s word Mangal becomes the first person to use the greased cartridges, thus setting an example to his fellow soldiers.

Mean while the Captain’s Indian leanings get strengthened by the rescue of Jwala, a widow, (Amisha Patel) from Sati. The Captain also exposes the illegal Opium trade of the East India Company inviting an enquiry from the headquarters. The Enquiry pounces upon a certain trader named Sorabjee, who is nothing but a puppet in the hands of the Resident Officer.

Piqued,the trader reveals the truth behind the greased cartridges to Mangal and his fellow soldiers. Infuriated, Mangal severs his ties with the captain for making him an untouchable. The whole regiment disobeys their commissioner’s orders of using the Enfield Rifles and Mangal bravely stands up to a cannon. The commissioner backtracks upon which the soldiers get carried away and ransack the Arms. The Company calls upon the English troops in the Rangoon Regiment. The Sepoys Unify under the Ageing Mughal emperor along with Tatya Tope of the peshwas to prepare for a mutiny.The British get wind of this and expedite the arrival of the Rangoon Regiment. Mangal pandey pins his hope on the arrival of another Rebel regiment which is quashed by the British again.

When the Rangoon Regiment arrives Mangal Pandey has no other choice than to start the revolt which could have otherwise died a silent death. He chose to face death rather than show his back to the British. The Commanding officer has Mangal surrounded by his troops but orders not to make a martyr of a soldier. Mangal manages to get some soldiers killed but finally decides to die in his own hands rather than that of the English. However he survives and gets court martialled. Capt Gordon tries to get him acquitted but in vain. Mangal convinces Gordon that the rebellion is not just a matter of religion but a matter of self pride. Aamir shines in this conversation with Toby. It reminds of the scenes from his earlier films like the clash with inspector Salim in Sarfarosh, talk with his dad on phone in DCH. That scene is definitely the highlight of the film.

The rebel gets martyred in front of his countrymen ushering in the first war of Indian independence.

The screenplay and the editing department could have been a lot more tighter.

The story also shows glaring gaps in the development of character of Amisha Patel and the romantic developments between Aamir and Rani. Cinematic license did allow them to have a symbolic marriage in the cell. (thank God they did not break into a song!)

The songs were however a letdown barring Mangal Mangal and Main Vari Vari. The film did lack a solid background score.

Rani turns in a good performance though. Her introductory scene surely gives her fans a heartbreak where she looks like a proper prostitute.

Kiron Kher making an appearance as the Khotewali competes with Rani for an ample amount of cleavage.(Anupam kher would wonder why he is no longer the Censor Chief)

Tom Alter after a long time plays a role of an Englishman in the sidelights.

Remember the surrogate milking mother in the beginning of the movie? She is Mona Ambegaonkar. Fair & lovely and some "soap model" of yester-years (some one in the audience screamed “Iske Itne Bure din aagaye kya”)

A batsman and a bowler from the movie Lagaan’s British team make a comeback along with Aamir. (Heck 4 years is a very long time)

The James Bond villain, Toby Stephens, is completely at home as a sympathizing British officer. His painstaking delivery of the Hindi adds to the authenticity of the character.

Amisha Patel just does not match up to him. (I recall that Aishwarya was supposed to do this role. That would have been much much better).

Hats Off to Aamir Khan for delivering another power-packed performance as Mangal Pandey. Aamir again plays true to character bringing out the simplicity of Mangal’s thinking, the rustic qualities and the rebellious nature.

All said and done I still can’t see where the thirty crore went into. Surely 40% of it would have gone into the stars compensation package. They could have well spent it on the war scenes which were briskly edited.

The movie is a must watch solely for the historic element and the comeback of Aamir Khan.

The Rising: winner!

Yesterday's experiment with The Rising took an unexpected turn! I got mixed responses from lots of people including a couple of hate mails saying that it was a shrewd money-making excercise from my part. I had to delete those comments, including other appreciative ones as I had made it very clear that I will not entertain anonymous comments as well as those that were out of topic. And so for a good part of the day, I was kept busy moderating comments and responding to emails. It was late evening that I get a call from TCS saying that there were interested in purchasing the ticket as a prize for one of their internal competitions. I was flabbergasted and agreed. So, ladies and gentleman, the winner - Mr. Nithin Nadagouda.

To put things in perspective, TCS Bangalore had run a small contest internally for their upcoming e-newsletter. The person coming up with the best name for the newsletter gets a free ticket to the first day's show of The Rising. And thats how they contacted me! I've kept my promise. Although not a Gold Class ticket, Nithin did get gold class treatment.

Thank you TCS and congratulations Nithin! We look forward to hearing your review of the movie. .

The Rising

Okay, so its been a rather long sabbatical. I tried to keep away from blogging which has been more of an addiction and do everyday things like normal people. Trust me, it did feel nice that way and I really didnt miss being glued to the screen. I did, however, set up my phone to receive RSS feeds and was constantly updated with things happening elsewhere. I got to spend a lot of time analysing what I was doing, where I was heading and what I wanted to do with my life. Heck, if Aamir Khan can keep away from films for four years, then so can I (even if its for a mere month and a half).

Which brings me to the topic of this post - The Rising. I have one ticket for tomorrow's show of "The Rising - Ballad of Mangal Pandey" which I intend to sell. This is a movie everyone (myself included) have been eagerly waiting for and its now time to watch Aamir back on screen after his immensely successful 'Lagaan' and uber popular 'Dil Chahta Hain'.

So here's the deal. The show is at 10pm at PVR cinemas - The Forum. I've made sure that the seating is strategically located in the middle of the hall. The ticket price is Rs.300. Yes, thats 100% more than the MRP. Have I lost my mind? Maybe. But considering it is one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year and the fact that all shows till next Wednesday are at full house, I'm sure that there are lots of equally crazy fans who'd like to see the film on the very first day. Add to that, you will also get -

1. Your photograph (along with the ticket) posted on this site.
2. An opportunity to write your review of the movie and get it published on The RadioHead - lets others know what you felt about the movie!
3. A free delicious soft twirl ice-cream from KFC! - you can't afford to miss this!
   

To avail this offer, leave a comment below. Remember, only one comment per person and anonymous comments will not be entertained. If there are lots of people, I'll draw a lucky one by randomly generating a number from the comment pool. Offer closes at 6pm IST on Friday 12th August 2005.

Update: Folks, we've got a winner! Details to be announced soon!
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King Khan blogs

Aamir Khan blogs on Mangal Pandey

Will this set the trend for celebrities to blog about forth-coming films? It will be interesting to watch. Way to go Aamir!